Acadamy X, Mixed emotions
by Zoken
Summary: (Neo-Verse, read profile) Remy confronts one of his own handicaps, while the X-Men face off against one of their biggest rivals, and someone unexpected profess their love for our favorite one eye.
1. Eyes

"Alright chyall," said the Cajun. "Who wants to play a game wit Remy?"  
  
"I'm in," said Jubilee and Dazzler at the same time.  
  
"Let me see you shuffle," said Piotr.  
  
"No prob, homme" Remy did some trick shuffling, sending the cards in intricate arches and keeping them all in line. "Whatchyou tink?" Remy asked with a cocky smile.  
  
"Do you haf any udder nick names?" the Russian asked again.  
  
"Well. . . Mebee Remy sometimes called Nawlins LeBeau."  
  
"I am not playing." Everyone looked at Piotr and he explained. "My father taught me two things about playing cards. Try not to play vit vone who trick shuffles, and Never gamble vit somevone nicknamed after a geographical location."  
  
"Dats good tinkin homme," Remy smirked. "But dis jes a friendly game. C'mon, who in?"  
  
"I'm in," said Scott Summers tersely.  
  
"Bon, 'ow bout you mon frere?" Remy asked Alex. Scott growled under his breath.  
  
"sure, why not." Alex sat down next to Dazzler who smiled sweetly at him.  
  
"Can I play Remy?" Jean asked putting her arms around him as she walked up from behind.  
  
"Much as Remy love you chere, non."  
  
"Why not." Jean fake pouted, just to play with her Cajun.  
  
"'Cause, Remy's daddy teach him, neva' play wit someone 'oo reads people betta den you."  
  
"Hmm . . . Good point."  
  
"Mebee Remy let you in when d'game get more interestin'.  
  
"I'll watch till then." She pulled up a chair between Scott and Remy.  
  
"'Ow bout you Azure?" Remy said to Kurt.  
  
"Nein, I am no good at gambling."  
  
"Ah'll play." Rogue pulled her own chair in, and caused Jubilee, who was on her right, to scoot down a little more than she might have needed.  
  
"Dis look like a good game to Remy." He dealt the cards around the table, to Scott, Alex, Dazzler, Jubilee, (Kitty was busy at the moment with extra homework), and Rogue. Alex, Allison, and Jubilee had horrible poker faces, and kept giving themselves away. Scott's glasses gave him an advantage in that Remy couldn't read his eyes. Rogue's face was, as always, expressionless. The only time she bothered with an expression was when Kurt put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
They played for seven hands without betting money. Scott often changed his mind with a fairly dreamy expression on his face in the middle of his plays. The reason for this was that Jean was helping him. No matter who she was dating, Scott was still her best friend. At the end of the eighth hand Remy said, "'Ow 'bout we make dis more interestin'?"  
  
"What are you thinking Swamp Rat?" asked Scott. Alex nudged his brother, but said nothing. It was well known that Scott and Remy didn't get a long. It was also well known that they only had one thing in common; Alex looked up to them both.  
  
"Remy tinkin' dat de winnah o' every hand get to ask someone at de table to take off one piece of clotin'."  
  
"Erm . . . I don't think I'm in for this," said Jubilee.  
  
"Come one Jubes!" begged Dazzler.  
  
"Yeah, C'mon Petite. It be simple fun. 'sides, Remy gon' let his Cherie play, so de tables, dey might be turnin'."  
  
"Oh, alright," she relented.  
  
"This is a little to daingerous fer me ta play. Kurt, whah don't you take mah place. I'm headed ta bed."  
  
"Alright," Kurt said. "Gute Nacht." He said as she walked away. He bamfed into her seat and smiled his unique fanged smile.  
  
Jean pulled her chair to the table and said, "So I'm in this hand?"  
  
"Definitely Cherie, and you gon be wearin' less when you leave de table."  
  
"Hmmm . . ." Jean hummed in mock thought, "Now do I want me or you to win?"  
  
"I'm outta this." Scott said as he stood up and stormed off.  
  
Half an hour later Every one had lost at least their shoes and the following were the standings. Kurt had his shorts and boxers still on, Alex was in his T-shirt, and boxers, Jean was in just her large dress shirt and socks and underwear, Jubilee and was in her underwear and skirt, Dazzler was in her shorts and underwear. Nothing "naughty" had yet been revealed but by far the closest was Remy, who sat in only his boxers.  
  
"Full House!" Jean called with satisfaction as she laid the cards on the table. She grinned evilly at Remy.  
  
"C'mon cherie, don chyall wanna see wear de fur en' on Azure?"  
  
"Boxers. Now." She demanded.  
  
"Aw, but dis put Remy out de game." His pleas fell on deaf ears. She shook her head and pointed at his boxers. Remy stood and said, "Aight, but 'member, Remy jes doin dis for his cherie." With that he threw the card he had been holding at the table, and it exploded giving off volumes of smoke. When it finally cleared, every one could see Jean laughing hysterically and they all began to "whoop" scandalously. The reason was that in Jean's lap were the boxer shorts that Remy had been wearing before he disappeared.  
  
The next morning Remy got a stern lecture from Mr. Forge regarding the molding of impressionable minds such as Alex and the girls. What Remy didn't know was that in another part of the building a conversation was being held regarding him.  
  
"But Professor, you can't just toss him!" Jean pleaded. "He is one of the strongest members of the team."  
  
"I understand Jean, but unless his grades come up to par, I am afraid I will need to ban Remy from participating in X-Men activity." The Professor looked at the two students in front of him; Jean Grey and Scott Summers. While Jean was upset about Remy's possible Removal, Scott was barely containing his glee.  
  
"What if he is just having some problem he doesn't want to tell anybody about? Couldn't we just kinda . . . Peek?" Jean, unlike Scott, thought that Remy's talents were of invaluable help to the team.  
  
"Jean, I know you have feelings for Mr. LeBeau, but the fact is that he is not pulling his grades, and those must be first priority. I have told you two because you are the team leader, and his closest friend. I hope that you can somehow influence him. I am sorry, but you have two weeks to illicit some change in Mr. LeBeau or he is off the X-Men."  
  
As Jean and Scott walked out, Jean turned to Scott, who quickly wiped away his smile, and said, "Try not to hurt yourself jumping for joy." With that she stormed off.  
  
"Remy!" she called when she found him.  
  
"Wheh ya'll at cherie?" Remy greeted her as he always did.  
  
"I'm fine, but Remy we need to talk."  
  
"Uh oh, dat don sound good." They sat on a near by couch.  
  
"Remy," she began. "Are you having problems with your school work?"  
  
"Dats what you wan talk to Remy bout? School work? Remy taut dis was important."  
  
"It is Remy." She said sternly. "If you don't pull your grades up in two weeks, then Prof. Xavier is going to take you off the X-Men."  
  
Remy's black and red eyes went wide, "Non, he can' do dat. Who be dere to protect you and de petites?" he stood in anger.  
  
"Remy you can stay on, all you have to do is bring your grades up." She took his hand, but he pulled away. She focused and then said, "Remy what are you hiding?"  
  
"You probin' me Chere?" he turned on her with an angry expression on his face.  
  
"I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong Remy." She explained.  
  
"Don't go peekin' in Remy's head Jean." This was not a request or a recommendation. For the first time since she had met him, he had given her a point blank, dead-serious command.  
  
"Why? What are you hiding from me?" she pleaded.  
  
"You won' like what you find." He turned and was walking out of the room when she called, "I thought you cared about me. I thought you trusted me. But I guess I'm just another little tryst, another check mark in the famous Remy LeBeau's score book."  
  
Remy stopped and turned, "Fine chere. You wan' know what Remy hidin?"  
  
"Yes Remy, I do."  
  
"Fine, here yo' laugh; Remy cain' read." With that said he turned and walked right out. He made it to the room he shared with Scott before he was confronted.  
  
"Hey Swamp Thing!" Scott yelled to get him to stay.  
  
"Listen Summers, Remy not in de' mood right now to deal wit' you. So back off, o' Remy gonn' do some'tin dat make Jean hate him."  
  
"Coward," Scott said simply.  
  
Remy rounded on him and grabbed him by the throat. "What you say?"  
  
"Jean told me what you said. If that's true you should have told somebody. We could help you."  
  
"Das rich comin' from you. De las' t'in you wanna do is help Remy." He turned and was walking away.  
  
"If you give up Jean and Alex are mine." Remy stopped. He turned to look at him. "we aren't that different," Scott continued. "We care about the same people. We are both leaders. The difference is, when I had a problem with my eyes I got help."  
  
"How you know it de' eyes?" Remy asked. He took a seat on his bed across from Scott.  
  
"Just in the way you treat them. The way they look. It was a wild guess. Listen, you aren't the only one who came here with serious problems. When Peter came here, he could barely read Russian, let alone speak English. The Professor worked with him and Peter is reading both now. When I came I had had my eyes shut for five months. Also I can't see the color red. I cant see Jean's hair. We all have problems, Kurt has a hyper speed metabolism, and Rouge . . . well you know. We get help and we move on. It's the other side of evolution; adaptation." 


	2. Extended Family

Remy walked out of Dr. McCoy's office and expected the waiting room to be empty. Instead it held Alex, Kurt, Jean, and Scott. The last was leaning against the far door. The first three rushed right up to Remy right away. "What did he say?" asked Jean.  
  
Remy reached inside his jacket and pulled out a pair of glasses. He put them on and tried to give a half smile. "Whachyall tink?"  
  
"You look distinguished," Jean said with a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Now you look even more like Scott," added Alex. "We just have to cut that hair now, or maybe Scott could grow his out."  
  
Scott and Remy replied at the same time. "No," said Scott. "Non," said Remy.  
  
As Remy passed Scott, Scott grabbed his arm and whispered, "This isn't a truce or anything. It's just what's right."  
  
Remy pulled off his new glasses and looked at him. "Remy Respect dat." With that he left.  
  
Thus Remy began a new world. He spent hours with the Professor and Dr. McCoy trying to learn to read. In truth the best lessons he had were the tutoring sessions he had with Piotr. The first book Remy read front to back, no matter how much he insists it was an issue of Hustler, was The Cat in the Hat. He always had trouble remembering when he was reading in French and when he was reading in English.  
  
Another twist in Remy and Jean's relationship came in the form of a letter. They were sitting in the Rec. Room on a Thursday afternoon. Remy had no tutoring to do. there were no scheduled simulations, thus everyone was lazing about. Kitty walked by with Dazzler, Jubilee, Kurt, and Alex in tow. They said they were going to an ice cream shop in town. They offered Jean and Remy, but they opted to stay at home. "Oh, before I forget," Kitty said, "Your mail."  
  
Jean had a small stack of mail, two pieces of junk mail, two college recruitment letters and one personally addressed envelope. Remy watched as she read it. He took out his glasses to try and peek over her shoulder. He didn't even get the chance to as she crumpled the letter and said, "Damn it."  
  
"What wrong Cheri?" Gambit asked like a good boy friend. He caught very few words. Only the words "Sister" and "Visit" were decipherable to his still developing literacy.  
  
"Oh, sorry Remy. It's just a letter from my stepbrother," she looked back at the letter, somehow surprised she had crumpled it. She smoothed it out and mumbled, "Sorry Brian."  
  
"Was' wrong wit yo brutha?"  
  
"It's not him. He and I get along great; it's his sister that drives me up the walls. You see a few years before I was committed to the psych ward, my parents split up. My mom was spending a ton of time in England for her job, she curates a museum there now, and she had met someone else there. Anyway, this other guy is okay enough, but I still am not over calling my stepfather 'Lord Braddock.'"  
  
Jean took a deep breath. "That was when the whole thing with my stepsister started. Everything I do she tops me at. I get good grades, she gets better ones, I do gymnastics, she aces martial arts, I get boobs, and hers are bigger. And she even carried it into mutant powers. I got telepathy, she is apparently stronger, I have telekinesis, she can make weapons from her thoughts. I join the X-Men, she joins X-Caliber."  
  
"What is 'X-Caliber'?"  
  
"Its sort of the English equivalent of the X-Men, but better looked upon by the government, and better supported. Meaning that Mother thinks it is more respectable. Ironically the Professor funds them both."  
  
"So, Remy take it dat you tink you momma like 'Betsy' betta den' you?"  
  
"It's not just my mother," Jean said standing up to pace. "It's everyone. Even my father is crazy about Betsy. Scott looses his tongue around her, Dr. McCoy finds her psionic weapons fascinating. I just hate the way I become second string around her."  
  
"you neva' be secon' in Remy's heart Jean." The Cajun pulled her down into his lap.  
  
She giggled softly. "Charmer," she accused.  
  
They sat there cuddling all after noon. Unbeknownst to them, for a short period they were watched by two individuals. If Jean had been probing with her telepathy, she would have picked up their jealousy. One jealous of the Cajun, the other jealous of what they were able to do.  
  
Jean informed everyone, well the student X-Men anyway, that X-Caliber was coming to visit in one week. Scott was excited, he wanted to show off his new team, Kurt was happy he was going to see fellow Europeans. Jean however was nuts. She became a cleaning nazi. The X-Men had cleaning duty the week before the visit. Jean had everyone scrubbing and polishing everything. Kurt was dusting chandeliers, Kitty was wiping down crawlspaces and other areas others couldn't reach, Dazzler was making sure the crystals had their best sparkle. And Remy was just trying to calm his girlfriend down.  
  
It finally came to the day before the visit. Jean was with Remy in his and Scott's room, telling him all about the different things that might happen. "And if she tries to seduce you, just kinda brush her off, she does that to all my boyfriends. Can you wear a suit?"  
  
"Hol' on dere cheri. Remy not gonna be seduced by some british bimbo. And why you wan' Remy wear a suit?"  
  
She turned around and hugged him for what he said. "Oh, its just that I want to make a good impression."  
  
"Cheri de only suit Remy got he savin' fo' weddin's an funerals, mah own included."  
  
"Please?" she begged. "and you can wear your glasses with them, you will look so good. We can just say . . ."  
  
"You ashame a' Remy?" he asked bluntly.  
  
"What?" she turned around sharply. She had been rifling through his closet trying to find the right style for him.  
  
"Are. You. Ashame'. A'. Remy?"  
  
"what, No! Why would you ask that?"  
  
"Cause you act like it." He put the clothes she was holding on his bed. He sat her on Scott's bed and said, "Remy lahke you cheri. Ah lahke all a' ya. Ah lahke yo' looks an' you laughter. Remy also lahke yo' tears an' yo' anger, and yo' bes' friend. Remy lahke all dis' cause it what make you, you.  
  
"but Remy tinkin' dat you lahke Mah charm, an' mah looks, but when it come to de fact dat Remy po', and Remy illiterate, and Remy a t'eif. . . . well dats' where Remy tink yo' love stop."  
  
"Remy," she said as she tried to touch his face. "I'm sorry. Your right. I've let my sister make me nuts. I'm sorry I thought for one second that you weren't good enough." A tear made its way down her cheek.  
  
Remy wiped it away and said, "Cheri, Remy undastan' if you wan' preten' Scott yo' beaux' while Betsy here."  
  
She put her arms around him and said, "Not a chance. You cant get rid of me that easy. Besides," she cooed as she moved over onto his bed. "Then Betsy might think you're available." They started kissing, and probably might have gone too far, had they not been interrupted by a throat being cleared. The jumped apart to see Scott in the doorway.  
  
Scott said nothing about the serious rule infraction. And the next day they all gathered in the school's launch bay. That was when the jet black plane landed. It looked just like the Blackbird. Scott leaned over to Alex, who was standing beside him and whispered, "They call it the Raven. It's a little faster than the Black Bird, but it doesn't have our maneuverability. Its all in the modifications."  
  
The ship landed and a large congregation marched off. A woman with a cane lead, and the professor wheeled right up to her. "Moira! It is so good to see you again."  
  
Moira leaned over and kissed Charles on each cheek. "Its good to see you again Charles it has been too long." Remy raised a brow as he saw a little more there than professional courtesy. "Allow me to introduce my core team of teens, X-Caliber."  
  
With that, six teens filed off the Jet, their uniforms just as wild and erratic as the X-Men, but somehow more orderly. In the lead was a seventeen year old in a costume that looked like someone had wrapped him in the Union Jack. Beside him was a girl who had apparently stretched a black rubber glove over her torso and let that be it. The boy went straight to Jean and said in a warm voice, "Jeanie! How are you?"  
  
"Brian!" Jean said in an equally warm way as she hugged him. "I'm fine, but two years without hearing from my favorite stepbrother is far too long"  
  
"You are too right." He smiled a winning smile.  
  
The girl who had been standing at his side broke in and shook Jean's hand, "Big news Jeanie girl" said the skimpily clad beauty. "Brian has been named Captain Britain by the Queen herself."  
  
Jean's smile faltered only for a minute, unlike Brian's, which faded completely a the mention of his new title. Betsy continued, "He will be the symbol of our nation against super-terrorists."  
  
"Its good to see you Betsy," Jean said. She would have congratulated Brian on his title, but she could tell that he was actually feeling apprehensive about it.  
  
"So Jeanie-Girl," Betsy drawled. "Introduce us to your team."  
  
"Why don't I let Scott do that, he is our team leader, but you know that right Bets."  
  
Scott shook his head and stepped forward. "Well a lot of us you two have already met like Colossus."  
  
"Why Peter," Betsy said with a hand on Piotr's chest, "You are just getting more and more handsome."  
  
"Thank you," Peter said not taking anything Betsy said too seriously. The last time he had seen her, she had talked him into a date, only to stand him up, Warren Worthington had asked her out.  
  
"And Kurt," continued Scott.  
  
Betsy ignored Kurt, whom she considered lower class because of his appearance and because he was German. Brian however went right up to him and shook his hand like an old friend. Kurt took notice of the broadsword at Brian's him. "Vould you like to spar some time?" Kurt asked, gesturing to the cutlass at his own hip.  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Brian said with his huge kind smile.  
  
"Probably not a good one though Brian," Betsy interrupted. "That is Excalibur you posses, who knows what it would do to Mr. Wagner's butter knife."  
  
"Vogner," Kurt corrected her pronunciation tersely.  
  
"But," Scott continued to try and avoid a fight, "We have many new faces to our team. "including the girls here, Shadow Cat, Jubilee, Dazzler, and Rogue." Each girl waved in turn except for Rogue who merely nodded. At each of their smiles (again except Rogue) Brian blushed a little harder, and this caused the girls to giggle.  
  
"We also have, get this, Havoc. Also known as Alex Masters-Summers." He looked to his brother to make sure had had said it right. It was Scott's habit to omit the name "Masters" from Alex's full name.  
  
"Wait," said Brian. "Wasn't your brother's name Alex. . . Masters-Summers . . . Scott is this your brother? I thought he was dead?"  
  
"So did I," smirked Scott. "He thought that of me. But the professor found him and now, he is the best surfboarder at the Academy X. of course he maybe the ONLY surfboarder here." Alex hit him good naturedly.  
  
"And allow me," Jean chirped. "To introduce the last, and newest member of the X-Men. Remy 'Gambit' LeBeau." Remy stepped forward and made a sweeping bow. As he stood Jean took his arm and smiled as she said, "He's my boyfriend."  
  
"Really?" pressed Brian as he narrowed his eyes on Remy.  
  
"Don' worry none, mon ami," Gambit reassured Brian. "Remy not do a tin' to hurt his Cheri." He gave Jean a peck on the cheek.  
  
"So what part of France are you from again Remy?" asked Betsy haughtily.  
  
"None, Remy from . . ." but he was cut off.  
  
"Remy hails from the bayous of Louisiana." Jean supplied. Her smiled didn't fade. Remy liked that.  
  
"Well," Brian said, trying to stop his sister from making a cruel comment, "How about we introduce our mates?"  
  
"You know me and Betsy, or Psylocke as she likes to be called. Standin' over there are the Cassidy twins; Theresa and Sean, also known as Siryn and Banshee. Then you have our resident werewolf, Rahne St.Clair AKA Wolfsbane. Last but not least, Jono Starsmore, our Chamber. We got a problem. How we gonna challenge you lot to a fight if you got four more than us?"  
  
"well," Scott began, "Alex had an idea that might work."  
  
"I call it," Alex swelled with pride, "either Flagball or Mutantball." 


End file.
